The Bartram Trail goes right through the Dell. If you hike out of the Dell and across the road, up the mountain about 1/4 mile there is a nice wooden bridge right at the foot of a tall water fall. There's supposed to be another waterfall somewhere along the trail in this direction, but I've never hiked in far enough to find it.

If you hike out of the Dell in the other direction you go right up the mountain to a nice ridge-top hike, then down a long way to a junction with a dirt road. A little way past this junction there is a side trail to an overlook, but the time I was there I didn't have time to hike all the way down to it.

This is a beautiful area to hike in May, when the mountain laurel is blooming and again in June when the Rhodendrons are in bloom.

I've hiked this trail once, counterclockwise. It's been a while, but I don't remember any really bad places. There are some long climbs, but worth it when you get to the overlook.

The Raven Cliffs trail is deeply shaded and goes more or less steadily up-hill, but it's an easy hike and well worth it. The trail sticks more or less right beside the creek and the creek is beautiful. The cliffs are magnificent and if you go right up to them you'll see the water running in a groove under the rocks. It's supposed to be possible to climb to the top, but I've never done that.

The Bear Den Creek trail is up the road from the parking area for Raven Cliffs. You can get there by hiking from the parking area for the Raven Cliffs trail to the bridge across the creek, then work your way opposite the Raven Cliffs trail on old roads until you get to the paved road, cross it, and follow the old logging road upstream alongside Dukes Creek. About 1/4 mile in (maybe more) you'll cross Bear Den Creek above where it joins Dukes Creek. Once on the other side, in the grazing area, go left to find the trail.

I hiked this trail several times many years ago, but the last time I hiked it was about a year ago and it is getting overgrown. You can only go in about an hour or so now.

It's been many years since I did this hike...but I don't suppose it's changed much. It's a long, switchbacked hike down into the valley, then upstream to the falls.

I've never managed to hike all the way to the falls on this trail. At about 40 minutes in you have to climb up a rock face about 6 feet high. I don't have a problem with climbing up, it's the climbing down that gets me! The trail is narrow at this point and squeezed in between the rock face and a steep drop to the creek.

I've hiked in a bit from the other end of the trail, but it was a bit washed out - so I didn't get to the falls from that end either.

This is one of my favorite hikes, but it's a bit hard to find. I usually hike in about 1/2 way, stop and have lunch and yo-yo back out the way I came in. According to a sign at the start, the trail was built (or improved, I've not sure which) by the CCC in the 1930's.

Lake Russell Trail
(loop)

I've hiked the Sourwood Trail several times, I like it a lot. About halfway around there is a short side trail to a pleasant waterfall. I've never made it there in May, but it looks like it's surrounded by mountain laurel and should be beautiful at that time of the year.

The Sourwood Trail is a bit confusing because if you hike it clockwise it seems to just end at a dirt road, at a bridge over the creek. It does continue to the right across the bridge and down the road to another bridge and then back to the parking area.

The Lake Russell Trail goes around the larger lake (the smaller lake is Nancytown Lake). I've never done the whole trail. I've hiked to the dam and then yo-yo'd back the same way.

I've done this hike several times. It has been rerouted at the top of the ridge lately, which makes it a nicer hike...they've taken out the part of the hike where you nearly had to "skate" down the side of the mountain! It's a LONG hike up to the ridge...it takes me an hour at least, all uphill. Then you hike along the ridge, then it's at least an hour back down...then hike along the valley floor to the parking area.

The overlook is a nice sidetrail, and well worth adding.

This trail goes more or less from the upper falls to the lower falls, which is funny because you have to CLIMB UP to get to the LOWER falls! Go figure! Not a long hike to either trail, but pleasant and easy to get to.

I'm not sure of the names of the trails, but I've hiked all of the trails over and around the mountaintop where the Stone Tower is located. My favorite hike is to do the trail on the west to the junction with the trail that goes past the tower, to the overlook. Then come back to the parking area by the east side trail.

Creek Trail
(loop)

Base of Falls Trail
(yo-yo)

Access Trail
(yo-yo or end to end)

I've hiked 3 trails in this park:

The Creek Trail goes north from the Visitor Center to the beginning of the Base of the Falls Trail. It more or less clings to the side of the valley and is mostly very well shaded.

The Base of the Falls Trail is a tourist trail and is paved it's entire length, which I wasn't too happy about. There are usually LOTS of people, but if you want to see the falls, it's the only way to get there from the valley. It's pretty much a steep climb the whole way, but there are benches where you can sit if you need to.

The Access Trail is the trail from the park to the summit of Springer Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail starts. I've hiked it from the top of the falls to the summit of Black Mountain, but it's been years - so I don't remember much about it.

I've only hiked this one once. It's a nice trail. I hiked it clockwise from the parking area, across the road so I could finish up along the river.

There are 12 miles of trail at this location and I've hiked them all...several of them many times. My favorite hike is from the lake via the West Lake Trail to the Dunlap Trail and across to the East Lake Trail back to the lake area. The volunteers have recently done some very nice rerouting on the West Lake Trail and have built a 150' suspension bridge across Walnut Creek. Very nice!

Another nice hike starts from the overflow parking area via the Dunlap Trail all the way over the bridge to the junction with the East Lake Trail and take that back to the short Mathis Trail to the parking area.

This trail starts and ends at Buford Dam, the impoundment dam for Lake Sidney Lanier. The part of the hike closest to the lake goes in and out of nice wooded areas and busy park areas. The part of the trail that is on the other side of Buford Dam Road is much less busy and goes through the valley of one of the few remaining natural spring fed creeks in the area. As busy as this area can be, if I hike late in the afternoon I almost always see a small herd of deer. I usually start from the Lower Overlook Park.

I enjoyed this hike. The trail is a real trail, not well groomed, but not difficult. Has a double-loop configuration and goes through some rock fields and other varied terrain. Nice hike.

This is a nice hike and I've done it several times. You can start from behind the Park Office, but I prefer to cut off that part and drive up to the Lodge and start from there. This trail goes partly along the lake and has several places where you can sit on a bench and enjoy a view of the lake.

Non-Game Wildlife Trail (blue blazes)

Non-Game Wildlife Trail (white blazes)

East Side Trail (yellow blazes)

(all are loop trails)

There are 4 trails in this park and I've hiked them all at least once.

The red History Trail goes from the parking area to the ruins of an old mill, then beyond to the falls overlook.

The blue trail goes from the parking area, past the new Visitor Center, to the falls overlook, but it touches the red trail at the mill ruins. This trail, from the parking area to the Mill is probably the prettiest hike in the park.

The white trail is the longest in the park but more than half of it is on an old road and I don't find that as pleasant to hike on, but the hike up the creek valley to the small lake is very nice.

The yellow East Side Trail crosses Sweetwater Creek and loops back to the bridge. The only time I hiked the yellow trail the beginning of it, after the bridge, was in pretty bad shape, but after that it was quite nice. However, it goes quite close to the park boundary fence, which kind of ruins the "backcountry" feel for hiking.

I like to hike the blue trail to the Mill, pick up the red trail along the river until it ends then take the blue trail from there back to the Mill and the red trail back to the parking lot...making a figure 8 hike out of it.

This trail is on the other side of the lake from the camping and parking areas. Enter at the park entrance B and drive to the parking area at the end. Cross the lake at the bridge to access the trail. If you go to the right there's a short trail to the Old Fort Yargo log building. If you go left you can hike to the dam. The trails map shows it goes a but further, but I always turn around at the dam.

A friend says you can hike all the way around the lake, but the trail map doesn't show this and I've never tried it.

This park used to be a farm and it's supposed to have the highest point in Gwinnett County. It has several miles of paved, mulituse trails; horse trails, and unpaved hiking trails. I've hiked the Ravine Loop Trail which goes fairly steeply down into a creek valley, along the creek for a way, then back up. The trails is distinguished by ancient, mysterious rock piles that supposedly predate the Cherokee and Creek Indians in this area and no one really knows what they were for! I found it a bit puzzling from the trail map trying to figure out, on the ground, how to get to this trail and ended up hiking a couple miles of paved trail...which was wrong!

Enter the park at the Fence Road entrance, park in the area near the pond. Then go all the way to the top of the parking area and hike the paved trail more or less to the left, behind the big notice board. The entrance to the unpaved Ravine Trail is near the top of the hill on the left.

This is a pleasant hike and I enjoyed it. Because it's a "balloon" trail you do have to be careful not to keep making all right or all left turns and hiking it all over again! I hiked it in the summer and did get a lot of chiggers...so if you hike in warm weather, especially, don't forget the bug spray!

Dowdells Knob Loop
(loop)

Wolfden Loop

I've hiked parts of the Pine Mountain Trail...from the East End to a loop back to the start. This part of the PMT is interesting, but I wouldn't call it a pleasant hike. It's dry and rocky and it's on a very narrow point of the park sandwiched by the park entrance road and a public road, so you're never far from car noises. But the loop down the mountain and back to the trail beginning is very nice.

The Dowdells Knob Loop was a very interesting hike and it starts and ends at an overlook that was FDR's favorite picnic spot in the area. A short part of it was nerve racking for me though, because it's narrow and rocky and tree rooted, and since my balance isn't very good I had to go very slowly and carefully.

The park map online doesn't show the entire Pine Mountain Trail and I was unable to find an online copy of the trail map. It can be purchased at local trail shops though, or you can buy it from the Pine Mountain Trail Association at http://www.pinemountaintrail.org/index.html ...or, of course, you can purchase it at the park office.

The Wolfden Loop starts near the West End of the Pine Mountain Trail and follows a creek to a waterfall and up the mountain, then loops around back to the parking area beside a radio station broadcast tower. It's a great hike...and it actually goes along the creek bed for a short space. There's a sign that says "Slippery Rocks" and they AIN'T KIDDIN'! I fell flat on my fanny!

There are 40 miles of trails and several can be combined into loops of verying lengths.

There are several miles of trails here, but I don't think they are named. I've hiked all of them. Some are in pretty bad shape - washed out and eroded, but the last time I was there none were impassable. Check the map, you can wander around for hours...but it's easy to get confused and hike the same trail over again! Like all of the Chattahoochee River trails you have to climb up out of the river basin. Also, it's possible to work your way over to see the mill dam where Hog Wallow Creek joins Big Creek.

The trails at Gold Branch don't appear to be named. I have hiked from the parking lot to the big loop going to the right, all the way to the third trail to the left and back to the parking lot. This trail starts on top of the ridge, goes downhill to the trail along the lake, then back up to the top of the ridge.

The trail along the lake is ONE HIKER WIDE and no kidding! It's narrow and for the most part very low, sandwiched between the lake and the hill to the left (hiking counterclockwise). I can easily imagine this part of the trail being impassable if the water level is high...it'that close to the water. There is almost nowhere to sit down and take a rest, unless you want to dangle your feet in the water!

But it's a nice hike and I enjoyed it.

unnamed trails

The website for Cochran Mill doesn't have a copy of the trails, but the Nature Trail is in the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Atlanta book. The Nature Trail is a nice hike. Starting from the Park at Cochran Mill you cross the road and hike down a short gravel road to the creek. There's a bridge, but it's blocked off, so you have to wade the creek. The first time I went to this hike was in the middle of a bad drought and the creek was WAY down, just barely got the bottoms of my boots wet. Then next time I went there had been considerable rain and there was a LOT more water in the creek. Go prepared for a wet crossing!

The Nature Trail is the the left after the creek, down another gravel road and then left on yet another. When you reach the iron bridge at the point the trail starts down off the gravel road, along the creek.

When you cross the first creek and go left, but before you get to the gravel road there is a trail that starts uphill. This is the beginning of a series of unnamed trails on the other side of the second creek. This is a long loop trail, with several cross trails that give the opportunity to make the hike as long or short as you like.

Hiking both the perimeter of the unnamed trails and the Nature Trail took me about 4 hours, maybe a bit less - probably something like under 4 miles altogether. This is a nice pleasant place to hike and the nature trail goes across several open rock faces, and past 2 old dams. Plus, there's an old, partly fallen down, dam to the right of the blocked bridge at the entrance.